A new education program, designed to raise the bar for New Zealand construction practice, is being launched at Otago Polytechnic. The course strives for the creation of beautiful, inspiring buildings that are net zero (energy, water and waste) and built from non-toxic, locally sourced materials. [ + ]

A study conducted at the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Global Change Institute has identified the ideal tilt and angle for solar panels on Brisbane rooftops. It is the first time a study analysing photovoltaic (PV) systems has focused on the region of Queensland. [ + ]

The solar business of Schneider Electric has announced two recent major project wins in Thailand and France. [ + ]

Scientists at the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) are using heat to measure the extent to which some of Australia’s inland rivers and streams could dry up due to over extraction of groundwater. [ + ]

Greening Australia has launched an educational website, called the Green Hub, in partnership with Hydro Tasmania and TasWater. [ + ]

A more energy-efficient rendering plant and directing all of its organic waste through a digester to generate clean energy from biogas will reduce Bindaree Beef’s carbon emissions by 95% and deliver annual operating cost savings of $2.44 million. [ + ]

The Australian Greens have welcomed reports that the World Bank will no longer fund coal-fired power stations in poor countries. [ + ]

The inaugural Ethical Enterprise Award was launched earlier this month. An initiative of Moral Fairground and Australian Ethical Investment, the award recognises and celebrates the achievements of Australia’s most inspirational enterprise. [ + ]

Both the Australian Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative and the Opposition’s Direct Action Plan recommend offsetting greenhouse gas emissions by increasing carbon storage in agricultural soils. But experts from the University of Melbourne have claimed that this method is both technically and economically very limited. [ + ]

Australian Olympic champion Dawn Fraser will be attending this year’s Clean Energy Week, to be held from 24-26 July at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. [ + ]

SITA Australia and Keep Queensland Beautiful are working together to improve awareness of waste issues through educating Queensland school students. This follows a recent study which found Queensland was the most littered mainland state in Australia. [ + ]

SITA Australia was one of nine winners in the Environmental Sustainability category of The Australian Business Awards 2013, acknowledging the company’s role in resource recovery. [ + ]

Bookings for the 2014 Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Building Services (ARBS 2014) are now open. The exhibition and seminar program will be held from 20-22 May 2014 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. [ + ]

In August 2012, BASF, Cargill and Novozymes announced their joint agreement to develop a process for the conversion of renewable raw materials into a 100% bio-based acrylic acid. Yesterday, they reached an important milestone. [ + ]

Thousands of remote Australian communities and South Pacific islands stand to benefit from a clean energy pilot program being undertaken in New Zealand. [ + ]